Chapter 109: Dividing the Money Among Households

Yan Huaiwen made sure to record every single coin Tianyou handed over to him.

The year, the month, the day, the location—copper coins…

He patiently counted them, one by one, with meticulous care.

After counting once, he was still uneasy and counted again.

Only then did he solemnly write down:

One hundred and sixty-five wen.

Feeling it wasn’t enough, he added a few more words:

My younger brother Tianyou’s first contribution to the household—recorded.

Initially, Yan Huaiwen wanted to write “contributed to the public fund,” but at the last moment, he felt “household expenses” was more appropriate.

Should he add “my heart is greatly comforted”? No, at this moment, his emotions were too intense, and writing it down might seem inappropriate when reviewed later.

A single word, “recorded,” was enough.

Only after the ink dried did Yan Huaiwen carefully put away the ledger.

Yan Yu quickly withdrew her little head, thinking to herself, That was close! She had almost been discovered.

She waited for a while before climbing down from the top bunk.

Thankfully, her eldest uncle wasn’t there.

She hurriedly ran off—there was something exciting happening!

How could she possibly miss out on the major event of dividing up the silver from the bandits?

When she arrived, she saw the uncles of the village sorting out a large pile of gold, silver, and copper coins.

She quickly pulled her father aside.

“Why couldn’t you wait? What’s so urgent that you have to say it now? The whole village is watching us,” Yan Lao’er scolded.

“The whole village is looking at the money, not us. They don’t even spare a glance our way,” Yan Yu retorted.

Yan Lao’er glanced around. True enough, everyone’s eyes were glued to the money pile.

“What is it?”

“Father, Eldest Uncle made a special ledger just to record accounts for you,” Yan Yu said, feeling a deep sense of admiration.

“What? He recorded it? Just for that five and a half jin of horse meat money?” Yan Lao’er hadn’t seen it firsthand, so his first thought was, Is your uncle afraid I’ll fudge the numbers?

Yan Yu rolled her eyes. What kind of logic is that?

“Is Eldest Uncle that kind of person?” Yan Yu huffed indignantly. “He cut the paper himself, sewed the ledger together, and wrote with such care—you’d think he was drafting an official memorial! He weighed every word, scrutinized the text after writing, and only after the ink dried did he gently close and store it away. Tsk tsk, Father, it’s a pity you didn’t see it. You’d have been moved to tears!”

“And those copper coins—he counted and recounted them, afraid of making even the slightest mistake in recording them for you.”

“What exactly did your uncle write?” Yan Lao’er asked eagerly.

“Father! If I could see such tiny words, I’d be a walking telescope!”

Yan Yu thought to herself, It’s already impressive that I could guess the general idea.

Then, she watched as her father sighed, shook his head, grinned foolishly, and looked deeply moved—his expressions changing nonstop.

She was amazed!

With this level of expressiveness, he could ace an acting exam!

“Father! Don’t tell Mother about this,” Yan Yu warned. “With how well Eldest Uncle treats you, she might feel compelled to step back a little.”

Comparisons are terrifying. Even I, as your precious daughter, feel less close in comparison!

As a dedicated melon-eating bystander, she was filled with envy, jealousy, and longing.

Her eldest brother, Xiangheng, was he worth nurturing?

Memories of Yan Xiangheng’s care and affection for her as his younger cousin flashed through her mind.

Uh… something felt off. He wasn’t as doting as Eldest Uncle. More importantly, Yan Xiangheng had yet to achieve financial independence—unlike Eldest Uncle, who could hand out money on a whim.

That was a critical factor!

Financial capability is a key criterion for a good big brother.

“Stop saying such blunt truths,” Yan Lao’er said, grinning so widely that his eyes nearly disappeared.

Speaking of which, Eldest Brother’s “giving sweets” technique was truly masterful.

Yan Yu admired it to no end.

I have candy in hand—if you behave, you get rewarded. If you’re too annoying, I can still pacify you with a little treat…

She began re-evaluating her earlier conclusions.

Between Father and Eldest Uncle, who would end up holding the reins over the other?

To be observed in the future.

“Father, how much did Eldest Uncle give?”

“See for yourself. Learn to weigh it by feel.” Yan Lao’er took out a piece of broken silver.

Yan Yu wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but it seemed shinier than when Eldest Uncle first gave it.

“This is two taels.” Yan Lao’er happily put it away.

Yan Yu quietly memorized the weight and texture.

Then she solemnly made a request: “Father, you should treat me like Eldest Uncle treats you.”

“As in, giving me money for no reason.” The words “requesting a reward” were practically written all over her young face.

“Did you forget who used to secretly give you pocket money?” Yan Lao’er began listing things: “Snacks you love, drinks you like—hot milk tea in winter, fruit tea in summer—movie tickets, concert tickets… And just recently, didn’t you want to go see a live comedy show? All of that was from the private savings I worked so hard to stash away. And you—you forgot it all?”

“How could I forget, my dearest and best father! Without your generous support, how could I have grown up so healthy and outstanding?” Yan Yu flattered instantly, then muttered, “Besides, Father, I didn’t even get to go to that comedy show, so let’s not bring that up.”

Yan Lao’er snorted, putting on a stern parental expression. “If you want pocket money, show me how well you behave.”

Yan Yu’s eyes lit up. “Father, just say the word! Serving tea, running errands, passing on messages—I’m on it!”

“Come on, let’s go count the money first,” Yan Lao’er said, seeing that the division was nearly done. He took his little sidekick with him.

Who would’ve thought that, in ancient times, counting money could be such hard labor?

Especially with copper coins—they were numerous and heavy. Once strung together, they became even heavier.

Yan Yu braced herself for the challenge, diligently counting the copper coins, stacking them in hundreds, then tying them in strings of a thousand.

Gold and silver were weighed directly. Yan Lao’er recorded the numbers while his daughter kept sorting through the copper pile.

A tiny figure with an extremely serious expression—it was quite a sight.

The villagers clicked their tongues in amazement.

They whispered among themselves, No doubt she’s Yan Lao’er’s daughter—so young yet already so adept at counting money, without a single mistake!

Once the counting was done, father and daughter compared calculations. The numbers matched exactly, determining how much each household would receive.

To avoid revealing their exact method of calculation (since they had no abacus), they simply counted on their fingers and scribbled on the ground to muddle through.

Since it was an even split, there were whole amounts and remainders.

One tael of gold equaled ten taels of silver. One tael of silver equaled one thousand wen, or one string of copper coins. Copper coins were the base unit.

Rather than deciding who got gold or silver, they simply handed out whatever was at hand.

Their village had 25 households, and the mountain village had 22 households—a total of 47 households.

Each household received twelve taels and two hundred wen.

To make the division neater, the villagers decided to trade all the loose copper coins to Yan Lao’er for horse meat. That way, each household could get two jin of the legendary meat.

Yan Lao’er, in high spirits, added extra—three jin per household!

Father and daughter cheerfully carried their silver and strung-up money home.